The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday arrested four people, including the Moradabad district president of Bajrang Dal, for allegedly slaughtering cows to implicate a Muslim man in a false case and conspiring against the police, officials said.
Among the accused are Shahabuddin, hailing from Chetrampur village in Moradabad district, Bajrang Dal leader Monu Bishnoi alias Sumit, and his volunteers Raman Chaudhary and Rajiv Chaudhary.According to the police, Shahabuddin took the help of the Bajrang Dal workers to put Maksud, against whom he had nursed vengeance, in jail by making it appear that he had slaughtered cows.
The police also told the media that on January 16 the head of a cow was recovered from Kanwar Path, a road that is mostly used by Hindu pilgrims during the Shravana month to go to religious sites such as Haridwar.“A case was registered against unknown people. After this, on the night of January 28, another incident of cow slaughter took place a few kilometres away in Chetrampur village (in the same police station area of the first incident). Both the incidents seemed suspicious and interconnected. Since the manner in which this information was given to the police, there was a suspicion that this incident was planned and it was not just a case of cow slaughter, there was definitely some hidden agenda in it,” said Hemraj Meena, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Moradabad, on Thursday.
He said in the second incident when the officers reached the spot, they found a man’s trousers and a wallet that had a photo of Maksud in it.
“When Maksud was interrogated, he told that he had enmity with some people in the village, due to which an attempt was made to implicate him. The names of Shahabuddin and Jamshed came up. These people took the help of Monu Bishnoi, Rajiv Chaudhary and Raman Chaudhary to send their opponent to jail,” Meena said.
“These people have been putting pressure on the police to get their illegal work done,” he said, while mentioning that only a few days ago Monu Bishnoi was arrested under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) case and sent to jail.
The SSP said that after coming out of jail, Bishnoi started his “illegal activities” to get things done from the police at Chhajlait station and when the officials did not listen to him, he created a trap through this incident.
“First they planned the January 14 incident in which they gave Rs 2,000 to Naeem, an associate of Shahabuddin, and told him to bring the head of the cow from somewhere and keep it in Chhajlait police station area, so that action will be taken against the police and the police come under their pressure. He told Shahabuddin and Jamshed to take the names of those with whom they had enmity. In order to do this, evidence was created by placing the photo of that person at the spot. These same people stole a cow from a house, slaughtered it and then informed the police,” added SSP Meena.
Officials also said that two accused are still absconding.
“The police have exposed the conspiracy on the basis of electronic surveillance, mobile location and other evidence. These are people with criminal tendencies and have been regularly putting pressure on the police,” said Meena.
The Moradabad police have registered two First Information Reports (FIRs) under IPC sections 120B (Criminal Conspiracy), 211 (False charge of offence made with intent to injure), 380 (Theft in dwelling house), 457 (house-trespass or house-breaking) and 411 (Dishonestly receiving stolen property) and section 3,5,8 of Cow Slaughter Act.
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